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Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)

written by Marvellina Updated: March 1, 2024
4.3K
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Traditional Greek Christmas bread with beautiful braids filled with aromatic spices like star anise and mahleb and walnuts. Christopsomo is so tasty and if you have never tried it before, I strongly suggest you try it out.
Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)
I was so intrigued by Christopsomo after seeing the Chain Baker made this on his youtube channel. I’m so glad that I tried it out because my family loves this bread a lot. The bread is soft and fluffy with some crunch from the walnuts on the inside. The spices..oh my, they are so flavorful.

What is Christopsomo?

Christopsomo means Christ’s bread and it’s quite a symbolic loaf of bread. The bread is characterized by its cross-shape braid or “X” on the surface and with a whole unshelled walnut on the center. The cross or “X” symbolizes Christ. The unshelled walnuts symbolize the womb of the Virgin Mary. Some say it also symbolizes fertility or the cave where the Christ was born.
The bread is also flavored with aromatic spices like ground star anise and a special spice calls mahleb (mahlepi). What is Mahleb ? Mahleb is made by grounding the seeds of cherry. So these two spices really add nice aroma to the bread and make it extra special. The bread is prepared and served on Christmas Eve.
There are many variations of Christopsomo. Some families prepared them plain without any spices and nuts added. Some added dried fruits and other nuts to the bread too. From what I read, Christopsomo is usually eaten by tearing the bread by hands and no knife is used to slice the bread.

Substitute for mahleb (mahlepi)

You can get mahleb from Amazon (affiliate link),but if you don’t want to, you can just use ground cinnamon. It’s not an exact substitution,but it’s what commonly used to substitute.

Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)

How to bake Christopsomo

1. Put all ingredients for the dough in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough-hook attachment. Knead on low (speed 2) for 3-4 minutes until you get a rough dough

2. Then increase the speed to 4 and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes or until you reach a windowpane stage. When you stretch a small amount of the dough thin, the dough doesn’t break and a light can pass through


3. Take about 180 grams of the dough. We will use this for the braids later

4. Add walnuts pieces to the other dough and knead on low just to incorporate the nuts into the dough


5. Let both of the doughs proof at a warm place until they double in size. This may take somewhere about 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature

6. These are the proofed doughs

7. Divide the smaller dough into 6 equal portions. We will do two braids. Each braid needs three strands. Roll them into short logs. Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes so it’s easier to roll them into long strands for braiding


8. Use three strands to make one braid. Please refer to the photos below on how to braid. Repeat with the other three strands to make the second braids


So basically you move the right strand to the middle, then the left strand to the middle and you keep doing that until you reach the end


9. Repeat with the other three strands to make the second braids

10. Grease and Line a 7-inch round pan with parchment paper on the bottom and the sides

11. Punch the air out from the large dough with walnuts to distribute the air. Pull the edge to tuck and round into a large round ball.
Gently place one braid over the surface of the large dough and then another braid over it, to form a cross. Tuck the excess braids underneath the braid


12. Carefully transfer this into the prepared pan

13. Cover the dough and let it proof again for the second time until it doubles in size again. This may take another hour or longer, depending on how warm it is where you are


14. 15 minutes before the end of second proofing, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. Lower by 20 degrees if you have a convection oven
15. When the bread has doubled in size, gently brush the surface with egg wash. Put one whole walnut with a shell on the center of the braid. I don’t have whole unshelled walnut so I just use one whole piece of shelled walnut. Then I decorate the rest of the surface with walnuts and sesame seeds

16. Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 200 F (93 C)
Remove from the oven and brush with some melted butter while still warm if you want to keep the crust soft. Let it cool down in a pan for about 5 minutes

17. Carefully transfer it out from the pan and let it cool down completely on a cooling rack. This may take one hour or longer. Don’t slice the bread when it’s still hot

Did you make this Christopsomo recipe?

I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)

Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)

Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)

Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 50 minutes mins
Proof the dough twice: 2 hours hrs
Total Time 3 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Servings 8 servings 7-inch round loaf
5 from 1 review
REVIEW & RATE PRINT

Ingredients

  • 210 gr water
  • 4 gr active dry yeast
  • 30 gr honey
  • 20 gr cooking oil
  • 350 gr bread flour
  • 5 gr mahleb
  • 4 gr ground star anise
  • 4 gr salt
  • 100 gr walnuts finely chopped

Egg wash:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp water

Garnish:

  • Walnuts
  • Sesame seeds

Instructions
 

Prepare the dough:

  • Put all ingredients for the dough in a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough-hook attachment. Knead on low (speed 2) for 3-4 minutes until you get a rough dough
  • Then increase the speed to 4 and continue to knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5-8 minutes or until you reach a windowpane stage. When you stretch a small amount of the dough thin, the dough doesn't break and a light can pass through
  • Take about 180 grams of the dough. We will use this for the braids later. Add walnuts pieces to the other dough and knead on low just to incorporate the nuts into the dough

First proofing:

  • Let both of the doughs proof at a warm place until they double in size. This may take somewhere about 1-2 hours, depending on the temperature

Shape the dough:

  • Divide the smaller dough into 6 equal portions. We will do two braids. Each braid needs three strands. Cover and let them rest for 15 minutes so it's easier to roll them into long strands for braiding
  • Use three strands to make one braid. Please refer to the photos above on how to braid. Repeat with the other three strands to make the second braids
  • Grease and Line a 7-inch round pan with parchment paper on the bottom and the sides. Punch the air out from the large dough with walnuts to distribute the air. Pull the edge to tuck and round into a large round ball
  • Gently place one braid over the surface of the large dough and then another braid over it, to form a cross. Tuck the excess braids underneath the braid. Carefully transfer this into the prepared pan

Second proofing:

  • Cover the dough and let it proof again for the second time until it doubles in size again. This may take another hour or longer, depending on how warm it is where you are
  • 15 minutes before the end of second proofing, preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C) for a conventional oven. Lower by 20 degrees if you have a convection oven
  • When the bread has doubled in size, gently brush the surface with egg wash. Put one whole walnut with a shell on the center of the braid. I don't have whole unshelled walnut so I just use one whole piece of shelled walnut. Then I decorate the rest of the surface with walnuts and sesame seeds

Baking:

  • Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 50 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 200 F (93 C)
  • Remove from the oven and brush with some melted butter while still warm if you want to keep the crust soft. Let it cool down in a pan for about 5 minutes

Cooling:

  • Carefully transfer it out from the pan and let it cool down completely on a cooling rack. This may take one hour or longer. Don't slice the bread when it's still hot

RECOMMEDED TOOLS

Kitchen Aid Standmixer
digital kitchen scale
digital kitchen scale
7 inch round cake pan

*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*

Nutrition Facts
Christopsomo (Greek Christmas Bread with Walnuts)
Serving Size
 
1 serving
Amount per Serving
Calories
307
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
14
g
22
%
Saturated Fat
 
1
g
6
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
8
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Cholesterol
 
23
mg
8
%
Sodium
 
206
mg
9
%
Potassium
 
131
mg
4
%
Carbohydrates
 
37
g
12
%
Fiber
 
2
g
8
%
Sugar
 
4
g
4
%
Protein
 
9
g
18
%
Vitamin A
 
38
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
38
mg
4
%
Iron
 
1
mg
6
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how you like this recipe and consider rating it! Tag me @whattocooktoday I'd love to see your photos/videos on Instagram
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